Chapter Seventeen
REESE
Inever thought waking up in my own bed would feel strange, but as I stare at the drop ceiling tiles, here I am. The last few days with Tristen cling to my memory like a distant dream, and a heavy weight presses on my chest at the realization that I have to return to my mundane life.
No whiffs of his cologne. No morning snuggles and chats. Just me. All alone.
After hours of tossing and turning, I admit defeat and click on the bedside lamp. Piles of dirty laundry are scattered around the room, and since I’m not able to sleep, I clean up instead. Might as well be productive while I wait for my alarm clock to go off.
Hitting the button to the coffee maker as I walk by, I pick up a few stray socks that are crumpled on the floor and add them to the laundry basket in my arms.
I jolt when a knock sounds at my door, and the instant fear that my ex-boyfriend is outside blares through my mind on a megaphone. Could Burns have been granted parole so soon?
“I promise it’s not Gary.”
Gary?
My breath rushes out in relief. I sag against the sofa and slowly release my death grip on the basket. It’s Tristen. Nothing to be scared of.
“Reese? You up?” A knock sounds again, a little louder than before.
“Coming.”
I swing the door wide to see Tris’s oversized grin, way too awake for this hour. A white take-out bag dangles from his finger, filling my apartment with the tantalizing aroma of bacon and eggs. Before I can say hi, he leans in for a quick kiss as a greeting.
“Good morning to you too,” I say, chuckling. “Wait a minute, how did you get into the shop?”
“Lewis gave me a key. I gave him one to the bar too, for emergencies. Since the incident with Burns last year, a lot of the shop owners swapped keys and have been keeping an eye on things after closing. Since I couldn’t reach your door, I thought you wouldn’t mind if I used it.
Especially since I’m willing to share my breakfast with you. ”
“As long as you’re not barging into my apartment while I’m showering, I’m okay with it.”
I stretch out my arms, yawning.
“Oh man, sleepy Reese is dangerous. Here.” He hands me the bag and takes a giant step away from me, tucking his hands behind his back. “I don’t trust myself when you’re all tussled and warm, and—I have to go. Bye.”
He dashes down the stairs without a backward glance.
I blink at the empty stairwell, wondering if I had imagined the whole weird encounter.
Sleep delirium? But the plastic bag in my hand would prove differently.
Using my hip, I close the door and carry the food over to the TV tray, pinching the sleep in the corners of my eyes.
I need that cup of coffee like yesterday.
The time flashes on my microwave screen, and I suck in a breath at the early hour.
Why on earth would he be up so early? Not that I’m complaining about free food. I haven’t had time to buy—
An urgent knock thuds on my door again. I cast a longing gaze at the percolating carafe, still barely a half inch full. It’s too early for these shenanigans.
“Still not Gary,” Tris says from the other side.
I open the door again, chuckling. “What is going on with you?”
“Yes, sorry. It’s been a crazy, exciting, wonderful day.”
“That’s a lot of descriptive words for six in the morning.”
“My agent called in the middle of the night and I got the job.”
“Job?” I grab his hand. “The anime job?”
“No, the book job with Vivian Laundale.”
“Oh? I thought you weren’t interested in romance books?”
“I mean, it’s not my favorite to know women are drooling over me, you being the exception, but once she explained what the publisher has planned, I nearly about fell out of my bed.
It’s going to be a dramatized full-cast production for a seven-book series.
I’ll be voicing Liam, the main character in book four.
It’s almost like being in a movie. It’s unreal. ”
His words come so fast, practically overlapping, that my coffee-free brain takes a moment to process his announcement.
“Tris, that’s so exciting.”
He scoops me up in a bear hug, bouncing us both with excitement.
“Can’t breathe . . .” I choke out.
“Oh, sorry. I planned on waiting to tell you once you were awake, but I saw your light was on in your window. Then I was distracted by—” he waves his hand in the air around me “—this that I forgot why I came.”
“Goodness. How many coffees have you had?”
“Since I woke up? Two or three.”
“Give me a second to catch up. Come in, but don’t judge the place. I’ve been on vacation.”
He walks in and sinks into the middle of my sofa, his arms spread across the back in both directions. No matter where I sit, I’ll practically be on his lap.
Sneaky man.
I pour myself a cup and slip into the spot next to him, plastering to his side with the lack of space. Before I would have shoved him down to the other end, but now I snuggle in close, the world feeling right again.
He kisses the top of my head. “How is your morning?”
I blow the steam from the top of my cup and take the tiniest sip. “Perfection.”
The rest of the day continues in the same blissful pattern.
At work, Lewis scolds me over the tools, not for taking them, but for not packing the more expensive torque wrench. Then he proceeds to lecture me on which tools are essential and which ones he would have taken. What alternate reality am I living in?
Whispers carry on the wind as I stroll down to Lula Belle’s for lunch.
All eyes swivel toward me as I pass them down Main Street to the point I check my clothes for any new stains or holes.
I enter the cafe, even more confused when a few regulars wink at me from their booths.
Ethan shoots me a thumbs-up from the pass-through to the kitchen.
“Reese, over here.” Nova and Maya wave me over.
As soon as I sit down, I steal a fry off Nova’s plate, eyeing the cook and the other cafe patrons over my shoulder.
“Okay, what the heck is going on?” I ask and reach for another of Nova’s fries.
Always prepared for my antics, she snatches her plate from my reach so my fingers land on the table.
“Besides you being a thief?”
“I’d steal from Maya, but she’s on this kale salad health kick for the wedding.” I stick out my tongue and gag.
“It grows on you after a while.” Maya spears a dark leaf and points it at me. “But don’t change the subject. You know what the talk on the street is.”
I squeeze the edge of the table, hopefully keeping on my mask of indifference as I panic inside. Could word have spread about the motorhome driving into town last night? A few people did see us.
Be cool, Reese. Don’t ruin the surprise.
“Oh, would you look at the time—”
Nova switches sides of the booth, trapping me in my seat. A wild glint flashes in her eye, and I lean away.
“Nice try, Reese.” She points between her and Maya’s smug faces. “We know what’s going on. There’s a glow about you. It’s time to fess up.”
“Nothing is—”
“My cousin Gala would say differently,” Maya adds nonchalantly.
“Who?”
Nova shakes her head. “There are too many cousins to keep track of them all. You need to just assume Maya has eyes all over Colorado.”
“Ahem.” Maya raises one brow. “Gala happened to be dog sitting for my tío Roberto for Labor Day weekend. Guess who she spotted running like a madman in the bus terminal on Friday?”
I freeze.
“This is the part where you say Tristen,” Nova whispers next to me, grinning from ear to ear. She’s loving this way too much.
“Well, yeah . . . it was him. But it’s not what you think.”
“I still sense denial. Bring out the big guns, Maya.” Nova crosses her arms.
Maya slides her phone across the table, the screen lit with a picture of Tristen and me standing way too close together. My hand rests on his chest as he stares down at me in front of the Greyhound sign.
Well . . . this looks cozier than I remember.
“A picture is worth a thousand words, yet you’re awfully quiet,” Nova presses, invading my personal space. “As your best friend, I’m supposed to be first to know all your juicy secrets.”
I push her shoulder back with a laugh. “Why does it feel like I committed a felony for going camping with a friend?”
“Because we need answers . . . and not much goes on around here.”
Maya shrugs. “Sorry, Reese. I’m on Nova’s side. You never said you were leaving—and with your so-called nemesis? You can see why we are intrigued. And since when do you go camping?”
“You’re in my seat, Nova. Move it.”
The three of us jolt, surprised to see Tristen waiting beside our booth. Silently, Nova slips into the spot next to Maya with a smirk.
It’s not just her—the whole cafe is quiet. Only the sizzling hiss of the griddle and the low hum of the ice machine echo around us. Every eye in the cafe burns into my skin, my neck flushing.
“Hey, Reese’s Cup,” Tristen says and slides into the spot next to me.
He throws an arm across the back of the seat and kisses my cheek.
“Lewis said to meet you here. Well, after his twenty-minute interrogation that ended with where he’d bury my body if I broke your heart.
” He shivers. “It almost makes me want to move to the city.”
Maya and Nova are statues, their jaws hanging open.
“I mean, I knew it was happening. But seeing them with my own eyes . . .” Nova whispers.
“Yep. I never thought this day would come,” Maya agrees.
“What’s with them?” Tristen asks and snags a menu from the stack by the napkin dispenser.
“Apparently we’ve broken the town by dating,” I state and roll my eyes. “Maybe we should have announced it during a town hall meeting.”
“In our defense, you were at each other’s throats last time we saw you two together. Not that this is bad—just different. Oh, but think of all the double dates I can plan for our future.” Maya taps her fingertips gleefully together. “Speaking of which, where did you two end up camping on Friday?”
Tristen’s arm stiffens for a second before he blurts, “Uh, it’s a new place. A vintage campground off the beaten track.”
“That’s it? No other details?” Nova demands.
“A lady doesn’t divulge her secrets. Why are you not in your studio? I thought you had a big art piece you’re working on.”
Her lips twist. “I’m having a bit of art block.” She slumps in her seat and stuffs a fry in her mouth. “Sometimes a change of scenery helps inspire me. Just a lot going on lately.”
“I’ve been stressed with wedding plans too. Let’s do a girls’ weekend. Movies, popcorn, candy, manicures, and—”
“You can stop there. You had me at free food,” I blurt.
Maya’s eyes light up to a caramel color.
“Then you’ll be happy to know Des wants the both of you to stop by for dinner this week.
Whatever day works best for you.” Maya lifts up her phone and snaps a shot of Tris and me.
“I can’t believe he called you two before I did.
It was like he knew over the weekend. It’s crazy. ”
“He knew?” I steal another fry, ignoring Nova’s glare.
Maya nods. “Normally he’s clueless about these things unless there’s a flashing neon arrow. But you two? He knew.”
“I’m free any day this week,” Tristen says, leaning back into the cushion. He tilts his head toward me. “You?”
“Whenever. I just can’t stay late. I have a new project I’m working on that’s taking up most of my free time.”
Maya swipes her thumb across her phone. “Sounds good. I’ll let Des know so we can grab some things at the store.”
The next week whips by in the same odd state of people behaving as I don’t expect them to.
Some patting me on the back in excitement, others telling me how happy they are for Tristen and me.
But my own brother surprises me the most. At dinner, while handing me the spaghetti, he says, “It took you two long enough to figure out what the whole town has known for years.”
“I guess I was too stubborn to see the truth,” I confess.
Tris rests his hand over mine. “It doesn’t matter how long it took for us to get here, the important part is that we finally got here at all.”
“Cheers to that,” Maya says and raises a glass.
Keeping the motorhome a secret from Maya the next few weeks proves to be my biggest challenge yet.
Most of the town knows and covertly checks the status when they bump into me on the street.
The nosiest even drive past Tristen’s, their heads stuck out the window, shamelessly squinting at the barn windows.
But luckily, nobody leaks a word of it.
I check the repairs off my daunting to-do list faster than I expect.
It’s like the town has ears. Anytime I mention what section I’m currently remodeling, boxes arrive on Tristen’s porch or at the auto shop.
Donations of paint, lumber, and even a new couch so the lovebirds have a place to sit and relax.
One of Des’s biker friends, Christian Price, stops by, offering to cover the cost of repairs. But Tristen waves him off, knowing my brother will appreciate how much the town is pitching in to help.
While I rip up the flooring, Holt and Tristen construct a new foldable dinette, one with better storage for all of Maya’s books.
Lewis even helps with a tune-up and makes sure the engine purrs anytime it starts up, and helps me check all the seals, replace the tires, and paint the exterior to a crisp, bright white.
Decorating isn’t my strong suit, so Julia and Lola step up to the task, adding wallpaper, painting the cabinets white, and picking out a new mattress to replace the smelly one covered in mildew.
It’s a tough choice, but I donate most of the cat decor to Kitty’s daughter, Jessica, who moved back home from Golden to start a local cat rescue. The only piece I keep is the cat clock above the door, its black tail swishing back and forth as the days quickly tick by to my brother’s wedding.
All in all, it ends up being a brand-new camper, built from love . . . and lots of hard work. A night and day comparison that I’m anxious to reveal to them. So many unique and custom features, I just know they are going to love it.